Chapter 4

Liu Chang returned to the palace in a dejected mood. The princes of the Western Han dynasty underwent a series of excellent educations because Liu Bang wanted his sons to be capable, so they could "protect" the Son of Heaven in the future. Therefore, he devoted himself to cultivating his sons.

The princes of the Western Han were not like those of the Eastern Han. The princes of the Western Han had to possess the ability to govern a state.

This education was divided into two types. The first type was启蒙教育 (enlightenment education). When the princes were a bit older, they would be gathered to start their enlightenment education, with the aim of being able to read and write. Of course, the Crown Prince was not included; he was educated by a special tutor, the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, and did not mix with the other princes.

When the princes grew older and were enfeoffed as kings, the emperor would assign them royal tutors. These tutors would teach the feudal kings more profound things, from etiquette to state governance. If they had a capable royal tutor, they might even learn how to wage war and entertain.

Liu Chang, due to his wisdom shown in his youth, was given a dedicated tutor by Liu Bang. Now, he was finally going to study with his older brothers.

Thinking of those unreliable older brothers, Liu Chang sighed helplessly.

Currently, those still receiving enlightenment education were Liu Ruyi, Liu Heng, Liu Hui, and Liu You. Their ages were not much different, just a year or two apart, and none of them had been enfeoffed as kings yet. The eldest son, Liu Fei, who had already been enfeoffed, had long been dispatched to his fief.

The youngest, Liu Jian, was not yet old enough to receive enlightenment education.

That night, Liu Chang was extremely depressed and could not sleep well. He missed the life of the future immensely. An era without mobile phones, computers, or any entertainment activities was not as charming as described in穿越小说 (time-travel novels).

Liu Chang felt out of place in this era, unable to do anything, and his daily life was monotonous, dull, and boring.

The next day, he got up early, unwillingly washed up, and was led to the Tianlu Pavilion by seven or eight eunuchs. This was the imperial library of the Han dynasty, located in the northern part of the palace, and also the place where the princes received their enlightenment education.

When Liu Chang, pouting, unwillingly walked into the Tianlu Pavilion, everyone was already there, but the class had not started. They were all waiting for him. It seemed everyone already knew that Liu Chang was coming to study here.

The tutor for their enlightenment was a white-haired old man who sat upright at the front, not even glancing at Liu Chang. Seeing the old man's appearance, Liu Chang's heart sank. What was the difference from before?

A few young princes were seated at the front, each with different expressions.

The one in the middle held his head high, almost a carbon copy of Liu Bang. Although it was normal for a child to resemble his father, this was too much. It was as if Liu Bang's face had been printed on a child's head, except for the lack of a beard, even the moles at the corners of his eyes were identical.

Not only in appearance but also in demeanor, he was a miniature version of the emperor.

He was Liu Ruyi. The relationship between Liu Ruyi and Liu Chang could not be described as brotherly; it was more like mortal enemies. They had been fighting since they were young, causing a lot of trouble, and thus had been disciplined by Liu Bang many times.

When Liu Ruyi grew older, he no longer wanted to argue with this little brat, and they no longer caused any major trouble.

Sitting to his right was Liu Hui. Liu Hui had a tiger-like head and a tiger-like body, a typical chubby boy. He was now grinning foolishly at Liu Chang, looking not very smart. This guy was honest and kind, and had once helped Liu Chang steal beef at a banquet, taking good care of his younger brother.

The one sitting at the far right was Liu You. Liu You had been weak and sickly since childhood, and was slender. Unlike the others, who had some resemblance to Liu Bang, Liu You looked almost exactly like his mother.

His status in the palace was not high, and his presence was not strong. He was always very low-key, following his older brother Liu Hui and not speaking much.

Then there was the one sitting to Liu Ruyi's right.

This one did not even look at Liu Chang when he entered. He was Liu Heng, the fifth son of Liu Bang. In theory, Liu Heng's mother was not favored by Liu Bang, and her status was similar to Liu You's. No one loved or cared for her, and Liu Bang rarely paid attention to her.

However, in the palace, Liu Heng was somewhat different. He did not act like a child, and did not get along with the other princes, making him stand out.

Liu Chang often bullied the other brothers in the palace, even the Crown Prince Liu Ying, but he dared not bully Liu Heng.

Liu Chang had always disliked Liu Heng, thinking he was pretentious and loved to show off, acting like an old man. However, in Liu Chang's memory, every time he provoked this older brother, he never gained any advantage, being outmatched in various fields.

The other brothers, after being bullied by Liu Chang, would often cry and complain to their parents, but Liu Heng was different. He could avoid Liu Chang's attacks and even drag him to the Empress, speaking eloquently. The Empress, who did not like any princes except Liu Ying and Liu Chang, had a good impression of Liu Heng. As a result, Liu Chang often suffered.

After becoming Liu Chang, he still harbored a bit of fear towards Liu Heng.

When Liu Chang sat down, the old man began the lesson. The saying "Qin planted the trees, Han enjoyed the shade" was apt. Despite the Han scholars' criticism of the Qin dynasty, the princes used the "Cang Jie Pian," written by the Qin chancellor Li Si, as their textbook for learning small seal script.

The Qin dynasty had unified the script, and the Han dynasty had perfectly inherited the small seal script. Some had proposed restoring the original script at the founding of the Han, but Liu Bang disagreed, explicitly stating that small seal script would be the only script of the Han dynasty.

The enlightenment teacher did not show any special consideration for Liu Chang, continuing from where he had left off. Fortunately, this did not affect Liu Chang much, as he had recently received professional education and could recognize these characters without any problem.

Liu Chang soon found the lesson boring. He propped his chin with one hand, his thoughts drifting far away.

The teacher did not pay attention to Liu Chang. This teacher was a Daoist and was extremely lenient with his students, only teaching and not caring whether they learned. The class passed by as Liu Chang idly sat through it.

"Brother? Brother!"

Suddenly, someone interrupted Liu Chang's daydreaming. When Liu Chang came to his senses and looked forward, he saw that the Crown Prince Liu Ying had somehow appeared in front of him.

"How are you doing? Are you getting used to it?"

Liu Ying asked with a smile.

Liu Ying had come to visit Liu Chang.

Liu Chang knew that this guy had not come to the Tianlu Pavilion to mock or take revenge on him. He had simply come to fulfill his duty as an older brother.

At first, when Liu Ying constantly advised him to study hard, Liu Chang had suspected that he might have ulterior motives, thinking he was trying to show humility and harmony among brothers.

However, as they interacted more, Liu Chang realized that Liu Ying was a true gentleman.

He was kind to everyone, with no ulterior motives. He took good care of his brothers. He knew that Liu Ruyi liked swordsmanship and gave him a sword that the emperor had given him, even though they were competing for the throne. He knew that Liu Hui was honest and often sent people to check if anyone was looking down on him.

He knew that Liu You was not favored and always invited him to sit beside him at banquets. He knew that Liu Heng liked reading history and collected a complete set of pre-Qin history books for him. He knew that Liu Chang liked meat and always shared his portion with him at banquets.

He was a gentle and righteous ruler. Honestly, when Liu Chang first arrived, he had idly fantasized about competing for the throne. However, after getting to know this older brother better, he no longer had such thoughts. The Han dynasty had become a powerful state for a reason.

In Liu Chang's view, this older brother was an excellent heir, both in private virtue and ability, far surpassing himself.

When Liu Ying arrived, the princes all stood up, even Liu Ruyi, who was competing for the throne, showed great respect for his older brother.

Only Liu Chang remained lazily seated. "What can I do if I'm not used to it? I'm just waiting for the day I'm enfeoffed as a king."

Liu Ying chuckled and said, "This is for your own good. You will be a feudal king in the future. As a feudal king, if you lack the ability to govern a region, how can you ensure the well-being of your people?"

"Once you are enfeoffed, you may not have such a comfortable life. Being a feudal king is not easy..."

"You need to understand household registration, agriculture, water conservancy, warfare..."

"Household registration..."

Liu Ying began his lecture, speaking more and more, becoming more and more excited. The old teacher nodded approvingly, thinking this was how a Crown Prince should behave. The other princes also pretended to be attentive, and the four old men following Liu Ying could not help but applaud.

In the pre-Qin era, the princes enjoyed this kind of thing. They would find someone with flaws, lecture them with great principles, and try to convince them to change for the better, recording the event in history. In the future, this would become a refined pastime for the literati.

However, Liu Chang clearly did not like this.

He widened his eyes. How could the Crown Prince talk more than the old teachers?

Liu Ying began to cite classics, telling stories of diligent scholars and reformed prodigals. However, he was too verbose and tedious. Liu Chang's ears rang, his face turning from helplessness to shock, then from shock to anger, and finally to despair.

"Alright, brother, I was wrong. I will study hard... to be an excellent feudal king!!"

Liu Chang could not bear it any longer and hastily interrupted Liu Ying. If it were the original Liu Chang, he might have really taken action. He finally understood why the original Liu Chang found this older brother so annoying. This guy was a good person, but he talked too much, and his lectures were full of great principles, repeating the same points, which was extremely annoying.

Liu Ying made a face of approval and nodded with a smile.

"Very good. I will come to see you again in a few days. I hope you will study hard."

"Don't... I'll study, okay!"

Liu Ying left, and Liu Chang watched his back in shock, then quickly looked at the old teacher. He asked, "Teacher, can I still study alone as before?"